Back in the 90s I was hoping and praying for films like Transformers and X-Men to be created.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and one of my wishes was granted. Yep I got that X-Men film that I wanted but without the yellow spandex (the yellow spandex would have been great.)

In 2007 another one of my wishes came true-Transformers, the Michael Bay version. It’s fine that some films don’t exactly follow the source material, but I think the hardcore Transformers fans would have liked Bumblebee to resemble his G1 form.

Sadly the fans don’t get their voices heard. We all know that the directors have their own ideas which could potentially upset fans. When a film flops at the cinema 9 times out of 10 it gets a reboot or remake (for example Fantastic Four and Judge Dredd). Even if it doesn’t flop at the cinema it gets a remake anyway (Italian Job).

Is it really a good idea to keep on rebooting a franchise? Is Hollywood injecting the audience with so many reboots and remakes it could cause an overdose of boredom?

The mainstream studios tend to focus on well-known characters like Superman and Spiderman as it’s very easy to sell these characters to a wide range audience. Both kids and adults can connect with this films without worrying about extreme violence or intense sex scenes. Big companies can rest at night knowing that people will always go and see something that feels familiar. It’s a safe bet, and it’s always a winner… or is it?

When it comes to the Batman franchise, fans were really not happy with Batman & Robin. With that looming disappointment, the studio decided a reboot was necessary to satisfy Batman fans, and Christopher Nolan’s trilogy on the Dark Knight it has been praised by critics and fans around the world.
So why would Warner Bros want to reboot this franchise? Do they feel that the only way Batman is relevant is to keep on making films?

Hollywood needs to slow down as pumping out remakes and reboots every second is creating a fickle audience, especially when folks complain about things that were wrong with the film. Studios need to focus on original material that is not based on a comic book, a cartoon, or a novel. I enjoy some of the films based on the aforementioned types of media, but I would also like to see something new.

Attack The Block, District 9 and Avatar are a step in the right direction, but how many other directors or studios are going to take a risk creating something fresh on regular basis?

When a classic film is remade it just doesn’t do the original film justice. It almost feels like it’s disrespecting the original film. I’m  not a big fan of Total Recall but this summer’s remake looks awesome, and from the looks of the trailer feels like a sequel rather than remake. Let’s see  if it will please the fans of the 1st film. Whether or not a remake of Robocop is necessary, or if it could even be better than the original is a question for the fans.

Fans tend to make their own films of their favourite franchise (check out Street Fighter Legacy), and this trend could grow into something big. This means that fanatics around the world can get the Transformers movie they always wanted without input of a Hollywood studio. Companies like Marvel, DC and Disney might take interest in these fan films if they become popular. Then again, will fans bore of live action films of their favourite characters?

Either way now is the time for Hollywood to look at filmmaking from a different angle.